Aera captures the polish of a bygone era in a sparkling room 38 floors above Toronto's streets.

Billed as a steakhouse, this spot from Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality is a fine-dining gem enticing guests with a wealth of premium offerings.

Aera is part of The Well — Toronto's billion-dollar, multi-use new development. It's a restaurant whose lofty position in the sky informs its every move — its name, its décor, its premium offerings, and even its private dining room, aptly named "Amelia."

Take an elevator ride to the 38^th floor, emerge and you'll understand the fuss.

Though Solid Design Creative has sculpted the sprawling space into the picture of elegance — complete with striking art installations, warm lighting, and sumptuous furnishings that elevate every interaction — it's no competition for the panoramic views that stop guests in their tracks.

It's a good thing Aera offers seating in a multitude of areas (sushi counter, bar, lounge, and across its considerable dining room) because visitors tend to stay.

They linger to watch clouds settle over the lake, to see the sun intensify as it kisses the horizon, and to cheer to an afternoon spent sipping cocktails rather than jockeying for space on the gummed-up Gardiner below.

If guests are in no hurry to leave, it's also thanks to a menu of luxe bites and liquid temptations.

"The menu fits the place," says executive chef Binit Pandey. "We take time to prepare food and the guest has the time to wait for it, to enjoy the view. They're made for each other."

Beyond steakhouse classics — from Caesar and wedge salads to Oysters Rockefeller and enough steaks, loins, and chops to keep carnivores at bay — the menu cozies up to diners with a substantial sushi program (led by chef Rhett Sacdalan), American comfort food, pastas, and desserts that wow.

"Nobody," laughs Pandey, "is in a rush."

Aware that leisure and cocktails often go hand-in-hand, bar manager Joshua Hofley has created a menu of modernized classics that are at once approachable and intriguing.

"Aera is a classic steakhouse," he says. "We stuck with the concepts of popular cocktails and modernized them."

Part of the Signatures collection, The Late Night ($25) "is our take on an espresso martini," he explains. "Vodka is great for adding alcohol to things, but it doesn't add flavour."

Veering off the usual path, the team instead bolsters the drink with Hennessy V.S. Cognac and Kahlúa. ("Cognac adds chocolate, caramel. It pairs beautifully with the natural cacao notes from the coffee.")

Topped off with cinnamon and nutmeg, the drink is rich, warm, and entirely seductive.

Smoky and sultry, The Runway ($25) accents Woodford Reserve Bourbon with maple syrup for a Canadian take on an Old Fashioned.

Served beneath a cloud of wood smoke (which could be oak, mesquite, applewood, cherry, hickory, or maple, depending on the person behind the bar), the drink is as captivating as the view outside.

Skip ahead to the Prestige Cocktails, and find libations that go the extra mile to match the grand setting.

"Our space is very elevated," says Hofley. "We have our standard features and then there's something that's always above and beyond."

Few things scream over-the-top quite like cocktails made with ultra-premium spirits like Courvoisier VSOP and Ron Zacapa No. 23 Centenario.

The commitment to extravagance continues in the kitchen, where the word defines not only plated dishes but also the process of sourcing, cooking, and presenting each and every morsel.

"Our focus is on getting the best ingredients available," says chef Pandey, pointing out line-caught bluefin tuna, local quail eggs, beef, and more.

Invisible to diners, but vital to the team behind the pass, is the connection between dishes.

A steakhouse, naturally, has plenty of meat trimmings filling up its walk-in. Here, they're transformed into a dry-aged beef burger ($34) with the pedigree of a wagyu steak.

"The burger is an amalgamation of all the good meats we have. It's about using the whole animal," explains Pandey.

The same goes for tuna, with akami, chutoro, and otoro sprinkled here and there on the menu. "When you are eating tuna in any form in the restaurant," says Pandey, "you’re eating the same fish."

As sashimi and nigiri ($16, $20, $28), the tuna is served from leanest to melt-in-your-mouthiest. There's also a Tuna Steak ($45) daubed with chimminasty salsa and Creamy Tuna Crunch Roll ($30).

Another signature dish, the Spicy Scallop Roll ($28, $45 with optional caviar), is a delectable marriage of fresh mollusks, zesty seasoning, avocado, and chipotle mayo.

From the raw bar, Hamachi Sashimi ($37) is an artfully plated take on the city's crudo craze. Give it the admiration it deserves, then gobble up every delicate mouthful, complete with ponzu, pumpkin, and maitake mushrooms.

As skilled as they are at elegant restraint, the kitchen at Aera also excels at serving up dishes that feel as rich as the room.

PB & J Foie Gras ($36), with house-made concord grape jelly, is the adult ideal of the childhood classic. Consisting of a fat lobe of seared foie served atop tender brioche with a quail egg hat, it's everything — plush, extravagant, unexpected — that a night-out dish should be.

Not to be outdone, the team's Bacon Steak ($30) is best when shared. It's a dish for bon vivants unafraid of life's high-cholesterol opportunities.

A hefty slab of pork belly, the meat is marinated for 24 hours, cooked sous-vide for 12, then fried before being delivered to the table glazed with maple and sided with apple gastrique.

U.S. Prime Rib Eye ($135) is served au jus, as are all the restaurant's other steaks. The meat's intense flavour can be attributed to quality, its simple salt and pepper seasoning, and the fact that the kitchen team, as Pandey explains, bastes each steak with clarified wagyu beef drippings as they cook.

Extend your visit to Aera with a dessert that continues the mood of excess. Sticky Bourbon Toffee Pudding ($17) is devastatingly delicious. It's also a looker made for social-media fame.

Still, it's the combo of ice-cream-filled choux, caramelized bananas, hot fudge, chocolate cake, oodles of garnishes, and gold leaf, together dubbed Banana Split Puffs ($20), that caps off any night at Aera in the most appropriate way.

Aera is located at The Well at 8 Spadina Avenue on the 38^th floor.